25 Days of Cookies for Your Holiday Baking: Day 5, Date, Walnut, and Coconut Bourbon Balls

Every day in December through Christmas, we’re sharing a cookie recipe. Forget the 12 Days of Christmas—these are the 25 Days of Cookies.

Well, we all knew this would happen. Only five days into the 25 Days of Cookies, and we’re breaking out the booze. A baker’s life is hard—we live in self-made prisons of fluffy dough, subsisting on diets of sugar and butter. No wonder we’re driven to drink. Who can persevere under such inhumane conditions?

Luckily, there’s a quarter cup of bourbon in these Date, Walnut, and Coconut Bourbon Balls, which might explain why they have bourbon in their name. Yes, the whiskey gives these cookies a distinctive dimension, and we’re tempted to say it’s the most crucial ingredient, but your taste buds will tell a different story: this is a group effort, and the real joy in these cookies is tasting the way the dates, walnuts, and coconut flakes mingle on the tongue. They’re like the world’s friendliest holiday party guests—guests who’ve had their share of bourbon.